


This Strange Thing (Is It Love?)

by fakemagpies



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Big Misunderstanding There, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealous Poe Dameron, Jealousy, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poe's Just An Idiot In Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28891338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fakemagpies/pseuds/fakemagpies
Summary: A collection of light-hearted one-shots based loosely on the Urusei Yatsura OST.1 [Lum's Love Song/Matsutani Yuko]: Finn runs (lips-first) into a former flame. Poe didn't know Finn had former flames. Or that Finn even liked his kind of flame. He comes back with them to the base. It's fine. Poe's not jealous or anything. (themes: misunderstanding, jealousy, pining, Poe is such an idiot in love, Finn, please just look at him!)
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	This Strange Thing (Is It Love?)

**Author's Note:**

> _Late at night when the stars twinkle  
>  I dream all about you  
> I love you but you pretend not to know  
> You’re head over heels for someone else right about now_  
>  _..._  
>  _Oh, men  
>  Want lots of people to like them  
> Oh, just love me  
> You’ve always been the only one for me_  
> — _Lum's Love Song_ (lyrics by Ito Akira, performed by Matsutani Yuko)

“Finn, if Han says they made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, I believe him!”

“Chewie’s always been the honest one,” Finn responded over the noise of the cantina they’d just walked into. BB-8 chirped in agreement and Finn nodded down at him. “It’s only 12 if you round down.”

“Oh, Chewie’s the honest one?” Poe grinned. “The same Chewie that cheats at —”

Poe's not sure where the hell it came from but _something_ propelled itself at Finn as soon as they stepped into the cantina. _Bad, not good, kriff!_ A rush of adrenaline washed over the pilot and he readied himself to launch at the threat as Finn toppled backwards, unsteady. The humanoid figure pressed itself against Finn, until he hit a near-by pillar with a loud thump. By now, Poe already had his blaster out, aimed, and poised to fire...and he _would_ have fired, too, except Finn’s “attacker” wasn’t really _attacking_ anything. 

The guy, far from harming Finn, seemed to be kissing the ever-loving shit out of him. 

Poe blinked a few times and there wasn’t a chirp out of BB-8.

It's a sloppy, tangled mess of limbs and lips and teeth and Poe didn't know where Finn started and the other guy ended. Every part of them seemed to be moving, grabbing, gyrating, biting, scratching and if Poe didn't know better he'd have sworn that between Finn and the other guy, they had twelve sets of hands. Because there wasn't a single area of Finn that this guy (and Poe can see now that it's a _guy_ ) wasn't touching. There was a lot of grunting and low moaning (the guy) and panting and gasping (Finn), and Poe couldn't stop staring at the scene like an idiot. The guy (currently grabbing a handful of Finn's hair; Poe didn't know that was even an _option_ ) was around the same height as Finn, but he had a bit more meat on his bones. Poe could see muscles bulging from under the sleeves of his shirt that was a touch too tight in all the ( _wrong_ ) right places. 

And he was kissing Finn. Like he'd done it before. And Finn was kissing him back. Like he’d done it before. And if the small tent in his pants was anything to go by, Finn was _enjoying_ it. 

Okay, so Finn has a past. Well, _duh_ , Finn has a past. His life didn’t start when he’d met Poe. But Finn has a _past_ and Poe needed a moment to process it because the thought that Finn — _his_ Finn, _their_ Finn, _any_ Finn — had kissed _any_ guy before was making him dizzy. 

He looked down at BB-8 who made a confused chirp in support of his friend. 

Poe should have _known_ about _this._ They'd been comrade-in-arms, friends, shared down time, shared a bunk, almost _died_ saving the galaxy together _three_ times! So how did it never occur to him that Finn had...that he was... _I mean_ , Finn certainly had never _told_ him that he was into... _Okay_ , so he didn’t have any _obligation_ to tell Poe _anything_ but _c’mon_.

After two solid minutes, Poe began to wonder if he should say something, maybe clear his throat or kick one of them. They came up for air just as Poe had decided he’d break a glass or two or five; you know, just as a _mazel tov_ to the happy couple. It’ll get their attention and let them know that Poe’s taking this as well as anyone could. Two birds, one stone and all that. A real win-win. 

The big guy released Finn’s mouth with a wet pop. “Kriff, you’re a sight for sore eyes, Eight Seven!” 

Finn’s face lit up as his eyes met the other man’s. If the grin that spread across his face was anything to go by, Finn _definitely_ didn’t mind the greeting. _Great._ “Seven One! What the hell are you doing here?”

“What else should an ex-Stormtrooper be doing?” the big guy - “Seven One” - returned the grin. He winked a moment later. “I’m in ‘Goods Distribution’ now.”

Finn laughed. “I can’t believe you remember that!”

Okay, inside joke. That’s fine. ( _They have a past.)_ Finn would get him caught up eventually on what it meant. ( _Of course, they have a past.)_ Poe was sure it wasn’t funny though, whatever it is. ( _Did I mention they have a past?)_ Finn’s always been gracious about his bad jokes. ( _Because_ _they have a past.)_ Finn laughs at everyone's jokes. ( _Ah, kriff,_ _they have a past.)_ This is fine.

Poe needed a drink _badly_.

“Eight Seven,” the man sighed dreamily. He took in the sight of the young man and Poe thinks that look is illegal on several planets. “Defecting is one thing but saving the galaxy? I always knew you were special, not like the rest of us mindless drones.”

“Mindless drone?” Finn exclaimed. “You? Kade Genti’s number one sidekick extraordinaire?”

Poe titled his head in confusion. _Kade Genti?_ _The guy from the kid’s comics?_ At least he understood the reference this time. He finally got that drink and downed it in one gulp. 

“I haven’t read that in so long,” Seven One beamed. “I gave you all the contraband copies I had.”

Finn looked sad for a second and Poe didn’t really get why but he was more than ready to fight the other man for making him look that way. “When I left, I was in a bit of a hurry so they’re probably gone forever.”

“It’s not like they were limited edition or anything,” he gave an oh-so-tender smile. “Besides they meant more at the time. Now that we’re not ‘troopers anymore, they’re just pieces of paper we can get any time, right?”

“I guess,” Finn conceded with a grin. Why does Poe feel like he’s intruding on something very intimate suddenly? He put up his finger and the barkeep furnished another small glass of amber liquid. “Oh, and it’s Finn now. I haven’t been called Eight Seven in a while.”

Poe perked up a little bit at the mention of the name. Is now his time to shine? 

“Finn?” Seven One questioned. “It’s got a nice ring to it. You look like a Finn.”

Finn nodded and seemed to notice the pilot standing at attention, waiting for his introduction. “And this is Poe, by the way!”

 _Oh, great._ That’s what he’s been reduced to: a ‘by the way.’ Poe nodded and held up the empty glass. “Nice to meet you, Seven One.”

"Hi there, Poe,” It was the first time the other ‘trooper was really noticing the pilot and he hesitated before putting on a friendly expression. “Didn’t know you were with Eight Seven.”

 _With him? We saved the galaxy together, you massive_ — ”You kind of took us by surprise there. Wasn’t sure when to chime in, you know?”

Finn’s cheeks developed a rosy undertone. Knife, heart, _twist_. “Eight Seven and I go way back. We kind of grew up together,” he glanced affectionately over at Finn. “We, uh, broke a lot of rules together. Rebellious spirits always manage to find each other, huh?” 

Oh. _Oh._

Poe had to get the hell out of here. He didn’t know where he was going, but this was too much for him to handle right now. He’d barely gotten his head around the idea that Finn kissed, but the idea that Finn had a _whole boyfriend_ who he'd kissed and maybe even... _oh kriff,_ he really needed another drink. Maybe he’d get into a nice, refreshing cantina brawl while he's at it. Throw a few punches and get a black eye. The possibilities for physical pain were endless, which was a small blessing because Poe knew he'd have to get hit seven ways to Saturday for anything to be even as remotely painful as whatever _that_ just was.

* * *

It turns out ‘Goods Distribution’ was just smuggling (so he was right, it _wasn’t_ funny at all).

This, Poe found out when he finally came slinking back to the bar around closing to find the pair hadn't even noticed he left. He was off-balance, wobbly, and seeing about four Finns ( _very nice_ ) and three Seven Ones ( _bad_ ). Quickly, Finn glanced at Poe and smiled, a small thing that made Poe's heart skip a beat. Maybe tonight didn't suck: Finn still knew he existed and it turns out that Seven One was only passing through. (Also much to Poe’s deep, immeasurable pleasure, he was also heading in the opposite direction and presumably never to be seen again except at birthdays and other gatherings where his invitation hasn’t conveniently gotten lost in the subspace relay). 

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Seven One,” Poe nodded, extending a hand in goodbye. 

The other man didn’t take the hand and Poe almost thinks it's meant to be a slight. “Sven,” he corrected. 

“What?”

“Sven. It’s my name now. Eight Seven, I mean, Finn,” his eyes flickered warmly towards Finn. “Gave it to me.”

“Sven, Seven. It makes sense, right?” Finn chirped as he clasped a hand on Seven One’s — Sven’s — shoulder. 

Somewhere in his mind, Poe heard a hollow snap ring out. 

_Of course_ , he should have a name. Why shouldn’t he have a name? Everyone deserves to be called something that isn’t a random string of letters and numbers. 

But that was their _thing_. 

And now it’s _their_ thing. 

“Sven,” Poe tasted the name. _Terrible. Awful. Bad._ “Sounds great!”

Finn seemed proud of himself as he squeezed the former ‘trooper’s shoulder. “Listen, Poe, I was thinking Sven should join up with the Resistance.”

“Oh, I’m sure Sven is probably done with all that war and fighting stuff,” Poe gestured to Sven as if to say ' _This Guy Here? The Resistance? Psh, No Way!_ ’ “Besides, he’s got a pretty sweet deal here with all the smuggling and trading and the whole exploring the galaxy thing…”

The pilot trailed off as both the former ‘troopers stared at him with eyebrows raised in confusion. 

“Oh, Finn! You know who he reminds me of?” A smile broke out on Sven’s face. “Nines!”

Finn seemed to get the reference and laughed in recognition. “When Slip got the better of him that one time, right?” 

The young man smiled at Poe, almost encouraging him to join them. Poe pursed his lips. _Can’t exactly do that, buddy. Don’t know who the hell Nines or Slip are or when ‘that time’ was._ “Uh, right,” the pilot nodded awkwardly at the tail end of their laughter. “Off to your next adventure then, huh, Sven?”

“No, Poe, I’m serious,” There were still the faintest traces of a smile on Finn’s face. Kriff, he looked so comfortable with Sven. He was standing so close to him, closer than they needed to be, that's for sure, and they were all hands: hands on shoulders, hands on waists, hands on hips, hands on hands. Poe's been in a bar at closing time; he knows the signs when two people are about to walk right out of here and... _gotdammit_! “Uh, Poe, so do you mind if I use the commlink to contact Rey or not?”

Poe was taken aback by the fact that Finn was still talking to him. More so, he was taken aback by the sudden need for approval. “Sure, buddy, but you know you don’t have to ask, right?” 

_Weird_ . He’s used the commlink a hundred times before without asking. Why is he asking Poe if he can use it now? Of course he can use it - why shouldn't he use it? Poe's crap is his crap. Finn _knows_ this. Finn _knew_ that. At least, Poe _thought_ he did. The pilot's heart was racing now. Kriff, since when has there ever been any distance between them? What the hell is going on here?

“Thanks, Poe,” Finn reached out but half-way to Poe's elbow, he pulled his hand back and opted to flash a grin instead. _(What the hell. What the hell? What the hell!)_ Before Poe could say anything, Finn turned his attention to Sven: “C’mon, you’ll love Rey. You know, she's like Three Four if Three Four could use the Force and you know, actually hit a target.”

And just like that, it was cue the uproarious laughter and exit very confused Poe Dameron, stage left.

* * *

_General’s Log, Stardate: today, Tuesday, whatever._

The follow is a running list of people with whom General Poe Dameron of the Resistance needs to have a chat with later:

  1. Rose: told Poe to “suck it up or do something” and rolled her eyes _for no reason._ Make note to speak to her if something is troubling _her_ (because he's a _caring_ general).
  2. Pava: winked and nudged Finn suggestively while she was showing Sven around the base. Very _unprofessional_ if Sven is to be a colleague going forward.
  3. BB-8: May need re-tuning; told Poe to "just say something already" when Poe sought his advice on various personnel issues. So much for being the general's confidante.
  4. BB-8 again: told Poe to leave him alone. See if there is something the matter with his circuitry. 
  5. BB-8 for a third time: _well, beep beep beep to you, too, buddy!_



* * *

Sven was a hit around the base. People loved him with his dumb jokes and his dumb charming personality and his dumb good looks. And how _great_ was that? Because if Sven was going to be here for the foreseeable future ( _which is fine_ ), he should have the respect and admiration of his comrades. 

More on the excellent news front, too, because there is nothing the former 'trooper can't do. All Poe could do was fly ships; not to be misinterpreted, of course, because he's the damn pilot in the Resistance...but for a second (a very quick fraction of a second), he wonders if it wouldn't hurt him to just be okay at a lot of other things like Sven.

(Not that it’s important to the operations of the Resistance but) Finn certainly seemed glad to have the Sven around. They spent all day laughing and gossiping in corners, and getting all quiet whenever Poe would get near them. That’s fine — Poe’s got other friends besides of Finn. He’s top ten most popular guys on the base, by far. 

So, he doesn’t care that Finn wanted to bunk with Sven “just until he’s used to the place.” He doesn’t care that Finn’s holding Sven’s hand as he says it. He doesn’t care that Sven’s got some kind of defiant, almost taunting, look on his face. 

Poe doesn’t care at all. 

“I don’t care, BB-8,” Poe laughed. “Everything’s great. Aren’t things great?”

BB-8 beeped aggressively and, just as quickly, rolled off. 

“What do you mean, ‘leave me alone’?” the pilot scrambled to chase the small droid. “Come back here and say everything is fine, you little traitor!”

* * *

Sven and Finn are in their quarters a lot.

Poe’s not counting the hours, minutes, and seconds each day. But an average of 3.25 hours, give or take a few seconds. There are a lot of things people can do in their quarters together. Finn and Poe spent a lot of time in what was once their quarters before. 

But Finn and Poe were buddies. They did buddy things: watched holovideos, tinkered on their respective projects, read comics together, practiced Dejarik (because even though Chewie definitely cheats, it never hurts to practice), among other buddy-related activities. 

But Sven and Finn weren’t buddies. They were more than buddies and Poe saw how Sven looked at Finn. How he bit his lip and placed his hand firmly on Finn’s lower back as if he was marking his territory. So, whatever they were doing in there for so long each day, wasn’t what buddies do. But it’s none of his business. 

“It’s none of my business, BB-8!” Poe nodded walking along the corridor. Conveniently, Finn and Sven’s new quarters were around here somewhere. (Seventh door from the conference room, on the right.) “Even generals are entitled to their free time and they don’t need to tell their co-general about it, right, BB-8?”

BB-8 gave one long and low beep. 

“Buddy, I always walk this route. You know that.”

If a beep could be sassy, the next one out of the droid certainly was. 

“Since forever,” Poe looked down at the droid. “Why do you look like that? Fix your face. Or your, uh, lighting configurations. Whatever - oh, would you look at that, it’s Finn’s room. Let’s stop in and say hello to him and the new recruit.”

BB-8 released a flurry of _‘This is not a good idea’_ beeps as Poe rang the bell. 

“Don’t worry. Lots of people turn on their ‘do not disturb’ lights as a default. It doesn’t mean anything,” he nodded down at the droid. _Weird_. Poe could have sworn he’d heard some grunting just then but it disappeared as the approach of footsteps became apparent. _Must have been his imagination._ “Besides, what could they be doing in there that —”

Poe’s eyes widen at the sight of a shirtless and seemingly breathless Sven at the door. He was sweating and there was definitely a rosy undertone to his skin. BB-8 let out a long beep and if Poe wasn’t so stunned he would have told him to watch his mouth. 

“Yes, Dameron? You rang?” the former ‘trooper asked impatiently. 

He was pissed. Why would he be so pissed? What were they doing in there that would make him so pissed at answering the door? _C’mon, Poe, you aren’t that oblivious._ His own droid seemed to sense his thought and let out two quiet, incredulous beeps at the pilot’s faux-naivete. 

“Who is it?” Finn called from the background. 

“Dameron,” Sven shouted over his shoulder. He turned his attention back to Poe. “Well, Dameron, what do you want?”

Finn appeared beside the other man and smiled ( _so sweetly, so innocently, so nonchalantly_ ). “Hi, Poe, what’s up?”

Poe leaned in slightly to get a better look: were Finn’s cheeks flushed? _Kriff_ , they were and he was just as out of breath as Sven was. He was wearing a shirt at least but Poe knows just as well as anyone you can do a lot with your clothes on still. 

Finn is talking to him. _Answer, Poe, answer._ Stop gawking. _Damnit_ , Sven is in great shape. Those muscles Poe had noticed on the first day weren’t just confined to his arms; the former ‘troopers chest was taut with muscles. Poe wasn’t out of shape and if anyone were to ask, he’d say he had a pretty nice body, but damnit, why didn’t Poe work out just a _little_ more? 

Oh, yeah, Finn is waiting for an answer. 

“Uh, well, I, there is a…” Poe fumbled for something to say. An excuse. Because why had he come here? He’s having trouble recalling what he said to BB-8. _BB-8!_ “BB-8 wanted to come say ‘hi’ to Sven!”

The droid turned to Poe harshly. He didn’t beep but the beeps he wanted to make were written all over the oblate spheroid he called a head. 

“Right,” Sven’s un-amused eyes flickered between the droid and Poe. “Well, hi there, BB-8. Nice to meet you. Even though I already met you. At the cantina. A week ago.”

BB-8 beeped, embarrassed for himself and for being, of all people in the galaxy, Poe’s droid. 

Finn smiled at BB-8 and then up at Poe at the exchange. There was amusement in his eyes and _wow_ , he’s buying it but also just _wow_ . The air seemed to be knocked out of the pilot. Whatever this look (just barely out of breath, flushed, a light sheen of sweat and _that_ smile) was called, it suited Finn. 

Then as soon as Finn gave it to him, he took it away as he noticed Poe staring at him and Sven and then at him again and then at Sven one more time. Would it be weird if he sniffed the air to get a better idea? _That’s definitely weird_ but this room definitely smelled... _active_. _No way._

Wait, did Poe return the smile? He can’t remember.

“Well, if that’s all, Dameron and BB-8,” Sven nodded to the droid. ”We’re busy.”

“Oh, yeah, um —”

Poe couldn’t get the excuse out before the Sven whooshes the door shut on his face. BB-8 shook his head and let out an expletive laden beep cycle as they walked down the hallways together but Poe wasn’t listening. _No way._

* * *

"What the hell is your problem?"

Poe almost bumped his head on the underbelly of the X-Wing at the sudden question. He had to do two takes to realize it really was the oh-so-sweet and charming Sven that was confronting him about...what _was_ he confronting him about? "Excuse me?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Wait a hot minute. Where the hell does _Sven_ get off sounding this angry? He’s the one that’s upended Poe’s life! "I've met people like you before and I never stop being sick to my stomach when I do."

"I'm sorry, people like me?" Charming pilots? Handsome droid dads? Resistance generals? Unrealized boyfriend material? "I am going to need a little bit of help here."

Sven stared at him like he was scum, and granted, Poe hasn't taken a shower since last night but there is no way he could smell him from all the way over there. "No wonder he didn't tell you." 

"Tell me _what_?" Poe was almost shouting now. "Does this have to do with Finn?"

"Yeah, it has to do with Finn," the former 'trooper pointed an accusatory finger at him. "I saw your face back at the cantina. You looked sick when you first saw me and Finn and the whole time, you were making these dumb faces and then yesterday —"

"Okay, buddy, calm down, because I have no clue what you're talking about and yes, I’m sorry for bothering you yesterday," Poe's brow furrowed. "But, quick reminder about the whole cantina thing, you were practically dry humping my friend in the middle of a cantina. What kind of reaction do people usually have to that?”

"Dry humping?" Sven laughed but there was no humor in it. Oh, so Mr. Perfect doesn’t have a grip on how reality works. Poe relished in the fault. "Okay, _buddy_ , regardless of what you _think_ you saw, it doesn't change the fact that _Finn_ is noticing how uncomfortable you were. Do you realize how much you hurt him?"

"Wait," the pilot cocked his head. "Finn’s noticing that I look uncomfortable?"

"People that _aren’t even here_ probably notice you’re uncomfortable," Sven rolled his eyes. "So from now on, could you tone down your reactions and try to act like a decent human being while you're around Finn?"

Wheels turned in Poe’s head. They are turning, turning, turning... _halt_! “Wait, Finn doesn’t think that I have some kind of problem with you and him, does he?”

Sven shifted uncomfortably as if Poe had just caught him up in something. _What’s all this then?_ The pilot waited patiently as the other man’s mouth did a little nervous dance before he finally fessed up. “There is no _Finn and me_ , technically —”

“Ha!” Poe was effervescent in his interruption and a little too overjoyed at the news, if Sven’s face was anything to go by. “I knew it! I _knew_ it.”

“No, you didn’t,” the ‘former trooper intoned. “Besides, it’s not about us specifically,” he paused, “Or what we were,” _The bastard couldn’t just let Poe have it, could he?_ “It’s about the concept as a whole. I don’t think you realize how much Finn admires you. Your opinion means a lot and the fact that you could be so small minded...well, it came as a shock. Doesn’t he mean anything to you as a friend?”

Poe’s eyes went wide. “Finn’s my whole world and listen, you can tell him I have _zero, none, absolutely no problem_ with him liking men. It was just a shock because he never said anything, you know? Just, why didn’t he say anything, you know? Not just about this, but, y’know, if he thought that I, for some reason, had a problem...well, we used to be able to just talk about these things.”

“When it came down to it,” the other man explained (begrudgingly, Poe noticed, like he wanted him to be a narrow-minded bigot or something). “He would rather have kept you as a friend than risk losing you, even if it meant he had to walk on egg-shells around you.”

Poe narrowed his eyes sharply. “You’re holding information out on me, aren’t you?”

“No.”

That response was the too-quick answer of a _liar_. 

Poe pointed the hose he’d been using to wash down the X-Wing at the former ‘trooper. “Tell me or I shoot.”

Sven frowned. “Why don’t you go ask Finn yourself?”

“I’ll give you one more chance to answer my questions,” Poe aimed his water-based weapon. “What were you doing yesterday when me and BB-8 came by?”

Sven stared at the hose and scowled. “We were doing some old ‘trooper exercises. Now, will you put that thing down?” 

“That’s not a sufficient answer, sorry.”

The other man bellowed loudly as the water soaked him through to the bone. It’s not the blaster shot Poe’s wanted to take at him since day one but seeing the sopping mess in front of him felt pretty damn good anyway.

* * *

“Hey, buddy,” Poe smiled sheepishly. “Uh, thanks for taking the time to talk to me.”

Kriff, is he at some kind of formal interview? He was talking to his best friend right now, not some New Republic diplomat. But it filled the time because Poe wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be asking Finn right now. The younger man looked...well, _normal_ sitting across from him. To think: behind that adorable face with that nose that bunches up when he laughs and those rich, curious eyes that crinkled when he was pleased and that mouth that was saying something to him _and for once in your damn life, focus, Dameron!_

“Are you okay, Poe?” Finn eyed him, worried. “You’ve been, uh, a little off this last week.”

“Yes, that’s because of Sven,” Oh, _hell_ , Poe saw Finn flinch just then. Regroup, retreat! He’d picked out so many pretty, carefully manicured words to use and now it was all being thrown to the wind in his eagerness to reassure him that everything was going to be fine between them. “I mean, it just took me by surprise. You and him, I didn’t know you liked, uh, guys.”

Damn, why did Finn look kind of pissed? Wait, was that pissed or annoyed? Does it kriffing matter which it is, Dameron? Both are bad but he was trying his damn best here. “Poe, if you’re uncomfortable right now, we don’t have to —”

“No, no, no, no,” Poe shot up to stop Finn from getting up before him. “I don’t care. I don’t care you like guys and I don’t want you to think it affects us or how I think of you. It doesn’t matter at all. Everything is the same between us.”

Why doesn’t Finn look any happier after hearing this? Poe could swear that now he just looks hurt. Why is he making that face? Poe’s saying the words in the right order, right? Right? “Thanks for that, Poe. I appreciate you saying it. It, uh, your face at the cantina. It was just really jarring to see that, you know? But I’m glad, this,” he motioned between them. “That this is okay.”

Poe imitated the motion and smiled. “This? Always gonna be okay, buddy.”

Finn was frowning now. _Why Finn frown? Poe no say bad thing, yes?_ Poe’s brain was short-circuiting now as he watched the younger man make his way to the door. He smiled before he left but _Finn sad look. Why look sad, Finn?_ “Thanks again for this, Poe. I’m glad nothing had to change between the two of us.”

Poe’s smile was bright but he couldn’t help be confused on why things didn’t feel right. “Yeah, sure, of course, buddy.”

Finn’s fist tapped lightly against the wall near the door and he took several deep nods of his head, deep in thought. “Right. _Buddy_ ,” he whispered under his breath before he left.

Poe very confused. For Poe Finn buddy forever, but Poe feel not sure Finn think same.

* * *

“What the hell is your problem?”

Poe whirled around, scandalized in just his towel, to see Sven standing at the entrance to his quarters. “Oh, kriff, man, will you knock next time? I just got out of the shower! I could have been naked.”

“It’s unlocked and your ‘available’ light is on,” the former ‘trooper used a thumb to motion to the green light above his door. “Anyway, you look decent enough to tell me what the hell you said to Finn?” 

“What?” the pilot titled his head, puzzled. “I told him that I don’t care if he likes men and that things are fine between us.”

“That’s all?” 

“That’s all.”

The corner of Sven’s mouth went slack and he moved to sit at the corner of the pilot’s bed. “And Finn didn’t say anything to you?”

“No, just thanked me for talking with him,” Poe moved to his dresser. “He didn’t seem happy about anything I had to say to him though. Now, could you turn around? I want to dress.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, Dameron,” Sven scoffed and Poe shrugged his shoulders. His years in the Resistance and New Republic fleet meant he was used to dressing in front of groups of men and women alike. He just hated the idea of Sven getting a free show. “You’re absolutely sure didn’t say anything? Or do anything? He’s a really conscientious guy, you know.”

“Of course, I know,” Poe replied defensively, letting the towel drop. “Look, I know Finn better than anyone else.”

Sven chuckled incredulously. “You’re kidding me, right? You’ve only known him for a like a year, maximum. _I_ grew up with him and me and Finn have gone through things you couldn’t imagine.”

Poe spun around on his heel in anger. “Me and Finn don’t need years. There is this thing called natural chemistry. Finn and I have it. Also, not to mention it again for the millionth time, but we _saved_ the _galaxy_ together. Side-to-side, butt-to-butt, it can get very intimate.”

“Oh, will you shut up about ‘saving the galaxy’?” Sven rose from the bed and pointed a highly critical finger at the pilot. “It wasn’t even just you. I heard Rey did 90% of the work! Then between Finn and literally the hundreds of other people in the Resistance, it sounds like you did _very_ little in the grand scheme of things, Dameron.”

Was this guy telling him, a Resistance general _hand picked by Leia Organa herself_ , that he didn’t do anything? Fine, sure, he’d made a few pretty bad choices out there but Sven couldn’t possibly know that. Which means he was speaking solely on the strength of his dislike for Poe right now. Well, two can play that game. The pilot took a step forward and extended a finger of his own, “Oh, yeah, and where were you —”

 _Oh, kriff!_ For the hundredth time, Poe’s penchant for just throwing things on the floor combined with his habit of not looking where he’s going have come back to bite him in the ass. Or based on the trajectory of his fall, his face. The pilot shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for his fall, before he felt a pair of strong arms catch him. 

“You want me to believe someone clumsy enough to slip on a wet towel saved the galaxy?” Poe opened his eyes to see his knight in shining armor was Sven. _Great_. Just _kriffing_ great. Now Poe owed him a favor. At that revelation, the pilot thinks he’ll allow himself one old Terran curse: _Fuck!_ The former ‘trooper spun him around quickly and helped ease him away from the floor. “At least try to land on the other end next time,” he derided. 

Poe (against his will and because gravity had never been his friend) grabbed Sven for support in an attempt to hoist himself upright. “That’s because you distracted me, you —”

A chime went off but the two men were too busy in their back-and-forth to notice before the door whooshed open and a ( _sweet, beautiful, melodious_ ) voice flowed into Poe’s ears. 

“Hey, Poe, there’s a holovideo on tonight --” And just like that, Finn stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Poe, still completely naked, in Sven’s arms. The young man averted his eyes, letting his head examine every square inch of the room that didn’t have a naked man and a former stormtrooper in it. “Oh. Wow. Okay, _wow_. I’m _so_ sorry, the light was green and I just came in and I _actually_ rang the bell, and _wow_ , I am _really_ sorry. I’ll just, _ahem_ , uh, go. Somewhere that’s not, um, _not here_.”

Poe’s mouth was agape and the sounds coming out of it right now were definitely not Galactic Basic. Or anything remotely intelligible. It even seemed like Mr. Cool-And-Composed-Stormtrooper was stunned. 

“Finn, wait!” the former ‘trooper called out after a moment. “Finn!”

Without any warning, Sven dropped Poe to run after Finn and if Poe didn’t have a welt developing on the back of his head and some clothes on, he would have done the same.

* * *

“Uh, hey, Poe, um, buddy,” Finn smiled, embarrassed. “Um, thanks for taking the time to talk to me.”

Poe opened his mouth to respond but closed it. He held up one finger, begging Finn to just give him a second to collect his thoughts before there was a repeat of their last conversation. “Buddy,” the older man finally breathed. “That was _not_ what it looked like. At all.”

“Poe,” Finn laughed. It was such a sweet noise and Poe smiled along with the laughter. This was more like it, the pilot thought. He liked seeing Finn laugh. Finn had the best laugh. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I mean, I should have gotten it off the bat. You’ve been shooting him glances all week.”

“What?” Poe exclaimed. “Hold on, wait, wait, wait, just a minute there, Finn, how did Sven explain this to you?”

There was friendly confusion on Finn’s face at the outburst. Kriff, he looked so cute. Wait. Finn is cute? Is Finn cute? What are you talking about, Poe, he’s _definitely_ 100% cute. But is it normal to be calling your co-general and best buddy ‘cute’? _Damnit, focus, Dameron._ “He didn’t say anything, Poe, don’t worry. He was never that type.”

Poe titled his head, puzzled. “What do you mean, ‘that type’?” 

“You know,” Finn motion with his head, trying to coax the understanding out of Poe. “Kiss-and-tell.”

First off, _what._

Second off, _what?_

Third, _what!_

Why isn’t this going right _again_?

“There’s nothing to tell because there was no kissing,” Poe explained feverishly. That bastard Sven did this on purpose. He had sat with Finn quietly and let Finn believe he and Poe had been engaged in acts of ill repute. When I get my hands on him, I’ll use a real blaster instead of a hose! “I slipped on a towel and he caught me.”

“Poe,” Finn said gently. There was a small glimmer in his eyes. Like he wanted to believe Poe. Like he wanted Poe to be telling the truth. _But if Finn okay with Sven and Poe being couple, why Finn want Poe to be telling truth?_ The pilot could smell the smoke from his brain frying at that very moment. “You were naked.”

“I’d just taken a shower,” _Finn want nothing to have happened between Sven and Poe. Because Finn like Sven._ Poe’s heart sank as the remnants of his brain managed to piece together that conclusion. “And slipped on a towel. And you know how your stormtrooper reflexes are, he was just there and ready. Nothing happened at all.”

“Nothing happened?” Finn beamed at the pilot but he quickly toned the expression down to something more of a smile. “Oh, uh, I mean. That’s too bad. If you wanted that.”

Wait

Sven say there is no Finn and Sven

But Sven definitely want Finn

And Sven no have Finn

So if Finn no want Sven

And Sven hate Poe lots for no reason 

And Finn want Poe to be lying

_Then Finn want Poe?_

“Yeah,” the pilot replied, stupefied. He composed himself quickly. “Wait, _no_ , it’s _not_ too bad. Because _Poe no want Sven_.”

Finn’s face twisted in concern. “Uh, you feel okay there?”

Finn very cute when concern. 

Poe like Finn face.

Poe like Finn voice.

Finn very cute all time. 

Finn wonderful smart brave funny kind sweet warm 

Why Poe hate Sven lots no reason

_Because Poe want Finn too_

“I’ve never been more okay in my life,” Poe breathed out in realization. He regained control of his facial features and everything about him was serious. Poe want Finn. “Finn, I have something to tell you.”

“Um, are you sure this can’t wait? You seem a little confused today.”

“I am not confused at all,” _Poe want Finn more than buddy._ “Please.”

“Sure, buddy.”

“No, not buddy,” _Poe really, really want Finn more than buddy._ “No more buddy.”

Finn blinked back a few times. “Excuse me? You really must not be feeling well because I know you’re not somehow mad at me?”

“No, Finn, listen,” _Poe want Finn more than buddies and Finn want Poe more than buddies._ “What is the step above buddies?”

The younger man thought for a moment. He gave up with a sigh and a shrug. “Best buddies?”

“No,” Poe’s mouth went wide in a sloppy smile. _Poe love Finn._ “Best boyfriends.”

_But Finn love Poe?_

“Oh,” The noise dropped out of his mouth without fanfare and Poe was crestfallen. 

He’d checked his basic addition and it all added. _Poe + Finn - Sven = boyfriends._ It’s basic arithmetic. _But bad 'Oh' mean Finn no want Poe at all?_ “Oh, shit, I’m sorry, Finn,” he got up from the table and looked around for his jacket. _Oh, right, he didn’t have a jacket._ He should just go because he can’t even think straight right now. _Why the hell does Finn look so confused?_ Damnit, where is his hat? _Oh, yeah, he doesn’t have a hat either._ “You were right before. I was confused.”

“Oh. _Oh!_ ” Finn’s eyes widened in realization and he’s staring at Poe, breathless and wide-eyed, and looking so vulnerable and hopeful and happy... _but_ _Finn love Poe?_ “Boyfriends? As if not boy and friend, but together? A compound word? Boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Poe swallowed, half-way up from his seat and suspended. _But Finn love Poe?_ “Boyfriend. One word. No space.”

The younger man’s grin was befuddled, dazed, and dreamy. He nodded, slow and calm. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Poe repeated, unsure of it’s meaning suddenly. “You mean, ‘okay’ I heard what you said or ‘okay’ to what I just said?”

“As in, okay, let’s be best boyfriends,” Finn was still smiling that dopey smile. His face went serious for a moment. “Wait, you do mean me and you, right?”

Poe nodded quickly and definitively. _But Finn love Poe?_ He motioned between them. “Yeah, us.”

“And you are talking about, like,” the younger man felt around for the words, “Kissing and stuff?”

The pilot’s face finally broke out into a grin. “Yeah, lots of kissing and even more stuff.”

Finn swayed and Poe thinks he might just be excited and buzzing and overheated as he is, even if it doesn’t show. “That’s not what I expected from this,” he motioned between the two of them. “But I like that it’s happening.”

“Me, too,” Poe hears the bells and there’s light surrounding the younger man in front of him. “Wait, one second, there is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.”

Poe’s tongue darted out to moisten his lips and Finn, understanding the message, reached over the table and pulled Poe close until their lips crashed. Poe wobbled at the sudden motion but his eyes drifted shut once Finn’s tongue shot into his mouth. Eventually, the younger men came up for air and moaned.

“Poe, how quickly can you get out of that flight suit?”

_Yup._

_Finn love Poe._


End file.
